Consider the modern wreath: sophisticated, minimalist, crafted of natural materials – and not a kitchy-poo Santa or shiny oversize bow in sight.

Today’s trendiest wreaths – with prices ranging from around $30 to well over $100 – are not only making a fashion statement on the front door, they’re marching boldly down the center of the dining-room table and taking a star turn propped up on the mantel or sideboard.

“Wreaths have an enduring appeal because they’re easy. You hang them and you’ve got some decor immediately,” says Bonnie Dahan, co-founder and head merchant for the catalog and online company Viva Terra, based in San Rafael.

“And there’s very profound meaning to them. The circle is a symbol of timelessness, eternity.”

What’s changed is the composition. Out is the “country-cluttery” look, says Jennifer Sypeck, director of trend and product development for the Novato-based retailer Smith & Hawken.

“We’re really seeing the popularity of the monochromatic look,” Sypeck says, pointing to her company’s seasonal collection that includes wreaths crafted of bay leaves, or wheat or branches of olive trees. They are minimally embellished with berries or even artichokes.

“People really seem to connect with the natural materials,” Sypeck says. One of Smith & Hawken’s new offerings is handcrafted from wood shavings that have been dyed red. The look is surprisingly formal for such humble materials. “You could use it year-round,” she says. “But it’s a real pop of red for the holidays.”

Over at Williams-Sonoma, they’re playing with food – which is apropos for the upscale purveyor of cooking and entertaining wares.

A simple wreath of California-grown garlic bulbs looks positively sculptural, and is useful in the kitchen, too. The pomegranate and pepperberry creation has rich texture and bold color. The Frutta d’Italia wreath is accented with freeze-dried orange halves and whole limes. There’s even a snack for the birds in a simple wreath that combines red and black broom corn, wheat, millet and setaria grass. Use it indoors as a piece of holiday decor, and then recycle to the back yard for your feathered friends to munch on.

At Pottery Barn, part of the Williams-Sonoma empire, they’re thinking small. In addition to a collection of traditional wreaths, the company offers mini-wreaths made of faux rose hips and berries (six inches in diameter) or paper bay leaves (eight inches in diameter) that would be perfect hanging from the backs of dining chairs.

Even Restoration Hardware is getting into the wreath act with its sumptuous Magnolia Pomegranate Collection, which includes wreaths in three sizes, garlands, topiary “trees” and candle rings. The items employ reds and greens in a subtle but sophisticated nod to the season. The centerpiece of its Holiday Woodberry Collection is a starburst of twigs and faux berries that has a casual but elegant look.

“People look at some of these and say, ‘Well, I’m usually not a wreath person, but . . .’ ” says Smith & Hawken’s Sypeck. “They don’t scream ‘holiday.’ It’s not like having an inflatable snow globe on your lawn.”

Dahan likes to use an attention-getting wreath propped on a mantel or sideboard grouped with favorite objects.

“I also use two or three smaller wreaths down the middle of the dining table with a vase in the middle, or set a fat pillar candle in the center of a wreath on a tray,” Dahan says. “They lend themselves to a lot of creative uses.”

Even on the front door.

“We call it ‘door flair,’ ” Sypeck says. “It’s the first impression people have of your home. People are taking more time to dress it up.”

But be sure when you’re shopping for a wreath that it’s intended for use outdoors, if that’s where you want to put it. Many are designed for interior use or in sheltered outdoor areas only.

Whatever you choose, make it elegant, graceful and simple – words Dahan associates with modern wreaths.

“I try to find things that can be accents for a lot of different decorating styles,” she says, pointing to Viva Terra’s autumn prairie wreath with its unusual combination of preserved burgundy dock, green Sweet Annie, dried tapestry millet and canary grass. “It could be integrated into the home of someone who has a minimalist furniture thing going on but also would work in a traditional Midwestern home.”

“Besides being adorable beyond belief, it really embodies what we’re about – using what would have been something that went into the waste stream in a fun, decorative way,” says Dahan. “It doesn’t dry out and end up in the trash can at the end of the season. It might even become a family heirloom that gets handed down.”

Dahan says consumers are craving simplicity – in their wreaths and in their lives.

“Things are unsettled now and that’s on people’s minds,” she says. “There’s a feeling of ‘Let’s not have too much frill. Let’s keep our lifestyles uncluttered.’ “

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